interrogate
interrogate — verb
- interrogatepresent simple I / you / we / they
- interrogateshe / she / it
- interrogatedpast simple
- interrogating-ing form
1. to question a person in detail and at length, often in an official or pressured
to question a person in detail and at length, often in an official or pressured setting like a police station, with the aim of obtaining facts or a confession
The detective interrogated Gabriel for three hours about the robbery at the jewellery shop.
interrogate + someone + about + something
Border officials interrogated Shirin about her passport stamps until late in the evening.
Prisoners of war were interrogated by military officers in a small, windowless room.
The police cannot interrogate a suspect without first reading them their rights.
Officers interrogated Owen repeatedly, hoping he would contradict his earlier statement.
- question
neutral; does not imply the intensity or formality of 'interrogate'
- grill
informal; suggests harsh, rapid questioning, often by journalists or angry parents
- cross-examine
specific to courtroom settings; the questioning of a witness by the opposing side
- quiz
less formal and usually shorter; often about minor matters or for testing knowledge
文法句型
interrogate + someone
interrogate + someone + about/on + something
用法筆記
Object is always a person. Typically used of formal settings — police interviews, military questioning, or intelligence work — where the questioning is prolonged and carries an element of pressure.
常見錯誤
2. to send a request to a computer system, database, or electronic device and recei
to send a request to a computer system, database, or electronic device and receive data in return
Nila interrogated the customer database to find all orders placed in the last month.
interrogate + [database] for information
The software interrogates the server every ten seconds and logs any changes in response time.
You can interrogate the national archives by entering a surname and a year range.
The engineer interrogated the engine computer to find out why the warning light came on.
文法句型
interrogate + [database/system/computer/device]
用法筆記
Object is always a machine, database, or computer system, never a person. Common in technical and IT writing. Distinguish from sense 1 (QUESTION INTENSELY), where the object is a person.
常見錯誤
3. to examine a text, set of data, or body of evidence by asking a series of target
to examine a text, set of data, or body of evidence by asking a series of targeted questions about it, in order to uncover deeper meaning or hidden patterns
The historian interrogated the medieval manuscript, looking for clues about the author's identity.
figurative: interrogate + [text/source]
Sofie interrogated the survey results to work out why customer satisfaction had dropped.
interrogate + [data/findings]
Students are taught to interrogate evidence rather than accept claims at face value.
The journalist interrogated the company's financial records and found several unusual transactions.
Apinya interrogated the poem line by line in class, uncovering hidden layers of meaning.
- scrutinise
very close in meaning; implies close, careful inspection, but lacks the 'questioning' metaphor
- probe
suggests deeper, more intrusive investigation, often into sensitive matters
- analyse
neutral; the standard academic term, without the intensity of 'interrogate'
文法句型
interrogate + [data/text/evidence/findings]
用法筆記
Object is abstract — texts, data, ideas, or evidence — never a person. This is a figurative extension of sense 1: you treat the material as if you were questioning a witness. Common in academic and analytical writing.